


Shot Through the Heart

by bisexualbarry



Series: soulmate fics [3]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012), Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Fluff, Greek Mythology - Freeform, Greek and Roman Mythology - Freeform, M/M, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, barry is a bitter bub, they also steal a car, theyre all demigods
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-21
Updated: 2018-06-21
Packaged: 2019-05-26 11:14:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,261
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14999714
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bisexualbarry/pseuds/bisexualbarry
Summary: "An invisible red thread connects those who are destined to meet, regardless of time, place, or circumstance. The thread may stretch or tangle, but it will never break."





	Shot Through the Heart

**Author's Note:**

> THIS FIC IS SUCH A GODDAMN MESS, IM SO SORRY.
> 
> what up, im emily, and idk how to write a short and simple story that makes sense to save mY LIFE
> 
> oliver is so utterly ooc, im so sorry for that. pretend he's like he was before the island, but not the playboy part, fhdkjd. idk, cut me some slack, oKAY
> 
> also this fic is a flash fic, so if you're here because of the pjo tag, sorry buddy. i just used their universe and a couple cameo spots
> 
> also im aware the title is stupid. i just thought since oliver is an archer, it would be cute, hehehe
> 
> ALSO, i've never been to any of the places mentioned here in the story, so uh, sorry for the inaccuracies
> 
> im sorry in advance
> 
> enjoy!

If Barry was being honest, he thought the whole "red string theory" was a load of bullshit. Especially considering his life and all of its circumstances. He had to watch his mother suffer alone, struggling to survive, all because the stupid gods couldn't stay with their mortal lovers, and their half-blood offspring (or keep it in their pants).

Barry's father, the Greek god Hermes, had shown himself to Nora as a mortal named Henry. After they conceived Barry, Hermes had to come clean to Nora, and tell him who he really was. Nora had been understandably upset at first, but slowly got over it, accepting the life of a single mother as she raised Barry to the best of her abilities. Nora never met her soulmate, even though she felt the tug every so often, signalling whoever it was, was still out there. However, neither participant searched for the other, and Nora accepted her life. Therefore, Barry was convinced he could still be happy in life, even if he never met the person on the other side of the string.

When Barry was eleven, he watched his mother get murdered in front of him. Barry knew for a fact that the person to kill her was a mythological creature, but the mortal police would never believe him, so her case went cold. It made Barry's blood burn, knowing his mother's murder would never be solved, despite him having the knowledge of the truth- of what _really_ happened that night.

A satyr whose name he had long forgotten (he had disappeared not long after his job was complete) had brought him to a camp in New York. At first, Barry hated the thought of being so far away from his home of Central City, and away from where his mother was buried. But knowing his life, going to the camp was his safest option. Once he got there, he noticed how many other demigods that actually lived in the states. Briefly, he wondered if people in other countries had safe places like they had Camp Half-Blood. Barry had been claimed rather quickly, quirking an eyebrow when a large group of kids groaned at the sight of the caduceus hovering about his head.

Quickly, he found out just how many half-siblings he had, and it only made him grow more angry. While it wasn't crowded, and everyone had a bed, it wasn't the best situation to live in. The other kids were loud, often talking over one another, and scheming different pranks and jokes to play on the other campers. Barry himself didn't much of the humor behind pranks, but he couldn't find it in himself to speak up. It wasn't long before he was labeled as the quiet Hermes kid. Often, he found himself alone, quiet in whatever activity he found himself doing. Chiron had thought he was mute at first, until he had yelled at another camper for sticking an arrow in his leg during Capture the Flag.

Barry liked to sit on the beach. When he was younger, his mom always took him to the nearest natural body of water, and they'd either swim, or sit in the sand and watch the sunset. He'd often be joined by other campers. A raven haired boy, or a blonde girl he'd often seen with a pencil in her hair and an armful of books were a frequent occurrence. The only time they spoke to him was to ask him his name, but otherwise left him to sit in silence. It was nice to have the company, especially considering they never forced him to talk about anything he didn't want to. Later on, he'd see them with their friends, and he'd feel a pang of longing and loneliness, craving that kind of closeness with other people. After, he'd feel eyes on his retreating figure, no matter what direction he was heading.

When he was fourteen, a new Latino Hephaestus camper stumbled onto the dock where Barry was sitting. He had black hair that went down to his shoulders, and warm brown eyes that bore into Barry's own green. That was something his siblings loved to tease him about- how much different he looked to his half-siblings. While most, if not all, had blonde hair and blue eyes, he had brown hair and green eyes. Startling himself out of his thoughts, Barry blinked as the boy sat next to him.

"Dude, my older brother is being a pain in the ass," he complained, acting as if Barry were his best friend. "I was trying to build this new prototype, but he was saying I was taking his spare parts. _Which I wasn't_ , by the way, but I need to get out of there."

Barry just blinked in response. "I'm sorry, do I know you?" he asked, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

The guy's eyes widened a minute before sighing. "No, sorry. I'm Cisco. I saw you sitting out here alone. I hope you don't mind, by the way, but I really needed to get out of my cabin."

"I'm Barry," Barry replied, smiling a little. "Your older brother...are you talking about the cabin head Leo? From what I know, he's extremely nice."

"He is, he's just very overprotective of his toys. I happened to have a similar wire to one he's used before, but if you ask me, all wires look the same anyway. But I have my own, and I know where to find spare parts." Cisco sighed. "I'm sorry, you probably don't even care."

"I don't mind. Not many people talk to me, anyway. I've been here since I was eleven, and my half-siblings are really the only people I talk to. Other than Chiron, of course."

"You should meet my friend Caitlin! She's a daughter of Apollo, and super into medical stuff. Her older brother, Will, taught her everything she knows. And he's one of the best healers this camp has ever had," Cisco rambled, bringing a smile to Barry's face.

"Yeah, alright. Chiron's been trying to get me to talk to people more, anyway. Says he's worried I'm not making enough friends."

"You're a son of Hermes, right? I wasn't here yet when you were claimed, but I see you sitting at the Hermes table, so I assumed..."

"Yeah, I am," Barry answered, sighing afterwards. "I'm not surprised you saw me. I'm a brunet in a sea of blonde."

Cisco chuckled softly. "I get it. Well not personally. Caitlin's a brunette, and most of her siblings are blonde, too. Apollo's children often have brown hair, but Cait took after her mom."

"Alright, well. Take me to her, then." Barry grinned.

The three of them got along like a fire was lit under them. They hung around each other's cabins so often, new campers started to mistake them for their siblings. Cisco's brother left shortly after turning Barry turned fifteen, and Cisco was pouting for _days_. The new cabin head was annoying, and Cisco constantly complained about her. Barry, Cisco, and Caitlin went on their first quest that year (quests of three were strongly recommended, and Chiron figured they were all well prepared enough to do it), and while they all came back supporting new scars and bruises, it was a success.

Barry was proud of the progress he had made in the four years he was at camp. There was a downside, however, seeing different campers either leave due to their age, or leave once the school year hit. Both Caitlin and Cisco left for the school year, but because Barry had no other living relatives, he stayed at camp year round. It wasn't that bad, if he was honest. It gave him more one-on-one time training. He was shit at archery, but was handy with a sword. Not as good as the son of Poseidon that went through years before, or even Barry's own late brother, Luke, but he was able to hold his own.

Much to Chiron's delight, Barry befriended a daughter of Athena that joined camp that fall. A small blonde named Felicity Smoak, who was fifteen like Barry. She was brilliant with any form of technology (which drew a pout from her when she realised there wasn't any within camp boundaries, along with drawing surprise from Chiron at the simple stunning fact she hadn't been found by monsters sooner because of her hobbies), and babbled as much as Barry did.

"I'm just saying, it's rather unfair that monsters find us through technology," Felicity ranted for the umpteenth time as her and Barry cleaned the weapons shed. It was filthy with dust, and Felicity had had to stop at least three different times to clean her glasses.

"I know, Felicity. Besides, we have enough here to keep us busy," Barry replied, like he usually did. "Are you going to be a year rounder like me?"

"Yeah. My dad doesn't want me at home anymore, and I didn't want to be at home anymore." She sighed softly, cleaning a blade with the rag she was given. "It's going to suck not being able to hack into things anymore, but I guess I'd rather survive than create viruses." She was quiet a moment before she looked at Barry again. "How old were you when you got here?"

"Eleven," Barry answered, giving the blonde a small smile. "My mom was murdered, and I don't have any other living relatives, so I was brought here."

"I'm so sorry," Felicity said sincerely.

"It's alright." Barry shrugged, as if trying to shake off the growing sadness he felt settling heavily in his chest. "I like it here. It's a bit daunting to think of all the demigods we're walking in the footsteps of, though. I'm not going to follow my brother Luke's, though. I'm...I'm not trying to dethrone the gods just because I'm angry at them."

"Are you?" Felicity asked softly. "Angry at the gods?"

"Yeah. They let my mom die. My dad lied to my mom's face about who he was. He wasn't even planning on telling her, but he had to because she wound up pregnant with me." Barry threw down his rag before sighing. "My mom never found her soulmate because she was too busy raising me."

"Barry, that's...that's probably not the reason she never found her soulmate. Parents of demigods never have the best luck trying to find their soulmates, but often, having demigod children bring soulmates together. Do you have any idea how many step-siblings there are here? Your mom's soulmate could be my dad, for all we know." Felicity threw her hands up in the air before chuckling softly.

"I still think it's stupid," Barry stated flatly. "What if mine's mortal? How do I...how do I deal with this life while trying to keep them safe?"

"Your soulmate could also be a demigod. More often than not, demigod's soulmates tend to be other demigods. In fact, only one out of every twenty demigods has a mortal soulmate," Felicity rattled. "So your soulmate could very well be in this very camp!"

"I doubt it. Besides, I can still be happy without my soulmate. Many people marry someone who isn't and live very happy lives regardless." Barry gave her a tight smile.

"You're so optimistic in everything else. It's weird seeing you being so...pessimistic."

"I'm realistic," Barry corrected, giving her a look. "Anyway, for all we know, my soulmate could be Roman. And I have no interest to visit Camp Jupiter. I'm happy here."

Felicity sighed softly. "Alright. Guess I can't budge your opinion. I can't wait to meet my soulmate. I bet they're amazing."

"I bet they are," Barry agreed, smiling.

It wasn't much longer later when Chiron came to Barry with a favor. To say Barry was upset would be a bit of an understatement.

"Why do I have to go to Camp Jupiter? I don't even like California!" Barry protested, knowing he was whining, but the fifteen year old couldn't find it in himself to even remotely care. "I'm sure someone from the Athena cabin would be a much better spokesperson for this type of thing. They're great public speakers!"

"I agree, which is why you're taking Felicity with you," Chiron said, making Barry pause.

"Why didn't you tell her, then?"

"Because you're leading this quest," Chiron answered. "Look, I just need you to pick up an Apollo camper from Camp Jupiter, and then continue with your quest. You can take Mrs. O'Leary to camp, but after that, you're on your own."

"Why can't we take an Apollo camper from here? They're just as good." Barry was pouting, he knew he was, he just didn't like meeting new people. Despite meeting new people at the start of every summer, there was something different about having to meet Romans. The unknown made him uncomfortable.

"You're picking up one of their campers, and that's final, Mr. Allen," Chiron said firmly, making Barry's heart drop. Chiron never yelled at anyone, but his stern voice wasn't something Barry was too fond of. "You and Miss. Smoak will be leaving after dinner tonight. Make sure you pack all the necessitates you need."

Barry made a face as he watched Chiron trot away. Honestly speaking, there was no real reason for Barry to be acting the way he was about going to Camp Jupiter. He was speaking because of his nerves, and a bit of fear. The last time he had gone on a quest, it was two people he knew well. And while Felicity was slowly becoming one of his best friends, nobody would ever replace Caitlin and Cisco. Unfortunately, with it being November, they weren't available to quest with.

Felicity had been informed of the quest shortly after, and she was as ecstatic as could be. Despite her having only been there for a few months, she had quickly excelled at sword fighting, and kept even Barry on his toes. Chiron suspected it was the Athena part of her that made her quick to pick up on battle, but Felicity's stubbornness to be great at everything she put her mind to also helped.

After eating a full dinner, Barry and Felicity grabbed their backpacks and shadow traveled to Camp Jupiter. It was only three pm there, so the mysterious camper wasn't in the dining hall where the two thought they'd be. Felicity was told who to look for, while Barry was kept in the dark. He had a feeling that was done on purpose.

"I think he may be in training right now. We have to give him enough time to eat something quick, so we'll all have our strength up when we leave," Felicity spoke, making Barry smile as she babbled about their plans.

New Rome was gorgeous, Barry couldn't deny that. The fact that there was a town somewhere safe for demigods to live brought a smile to his face at the thought. Blinking in surprise as he stared at a small college in New Rome (Felicity was lost, that much was obvious. Despite being a child of Athena, she didn't know how to read maps), Barry spotted the guy and girl that used to sit by him at the dock. He was sure they had told them their name at some point (the blonde's name started with an A), but he was pleasantly surprised when they seemed to remember him, giving him a wave, which he returned with a grin.

Noticing where he was looking, Felicity noticed the couple, hanging around a few others, and grinned, before heading over to the group. "You're Annabeth! My way cool older sister."

The girl, Annabeth, laughed and nodded. "Yeah, I am. What's your name?"

"Felicity Smoak. I've been at Camp Half-Blood since September," she stated proudly.

"What are you guys doing here?" the guy, Percy as Barry suddenly remembered, asked.

"Chiron assigned us on a quest," Barry spoke up to answer. "We're here to pick up an Apollo kid, but Felicity doesn't know how to read a map."

"I don't see you helping," Felicity said flatly.

"I don't see you handing me the map to look at it," Barry replied back, smirking wickedly.

Annabeth snickered. "Where are you heading? Maybe we could help."

"The archery. We're looking for Oliver Queen."

"Oliver Queen?" Barry squeaked, his eyes widening and his cheeks turning a light pink. "As in, the son of a billionaire Oliver Queen? I didn't know he was a demigod."

Felicity's polite smile suddenly turned wicked. "Yeah, it's kept quiet because it wouldn't look good if the press found out Oliver wasn't actually Robert Queen's son. Why? Does it bother you?"

"N-no," Barry stuttered, his face turning a brighter red. "I was just, um, well surprised. No wonder he's so attractive, his dad's attractive, too." After the words left his mouth, he suddenly froze.

"Barry and Oliver, sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G," Felicity said, poking Barry's side playfully. "First comes love-"

"Felicity!" Barry squeaked once more, shuffling away from Felicity's offending finger. "Let's just find Oliver and get out of here."

"Alright," Felicity said, but she was still smirking.

Annabeth was laughing, with the others near them were simply either smirking or smiling. "To get to the archery, you'll go down the road more, and then take a left at the amphitheatre.

"Thank you," Barry said, sure his face would permanently be an ugly shade of red as he dragged Felicity in the direction they were told. "I hope you know I hate you."

"I'm fully aware," she replied smugly.

Finding Oliver after that was easy enough. He was one of the few people in the archery range, and the accuracy of his shots was both terrifying and amazing. Barry watched, mesmerized, at the fluidity of his movements. It wasn't until his quiver was empty did he realise they had been standing there watching for fifteen minutes. Blushing, he followed Felicity over to the older male.

"Oliver Queen?" she asked politely, smiling afterwards.

The seventeen year old quirked an eyebrow. Barry's knees felt weak at how _blue_ his eyes were. "Who are you? And may I help you?"

"I'm Felicity Smoak, and this is Barry Allen. We're from Camp Half-Blood, and we were instructed to come get you so we can complete our quest," Felicity answered smoothly.

"Oh, that's today? Shit, I completely forgot, I'm sorry." Oliver went to collect his arrows, Barry's eyes never leaving him. When he got back, Barry quickly looked away. "When are we leaving?"

"We were going to give you about an hour to eat and pack and whatnot. We want to keep our strength up." Felicity didn't comment on Barry's lack of talking, but he could feel her watching him out of the corner of her eye.

"Alright. I'll meet you at the front entrance in an hour, then," Oliver replied, eyes never once straying towards Barry.

 _'Great. I didn't even talk and he already doesn't like me. This stupid crush has to go away,'_ Barry thought to himself.

He gave Felicity a small smile before dragging her to the large library the small town had.

An hour later, and the two were waiting a bit nervously by the entrance of the camp. They had already been wished a hopeful journey by the praetors, and all they had to do now was wait for Oliver. Barry had barely spoken since they met, and Felicity was starting to worry. Finally, they saw Oliver coming, his quiver and backpack were both attached to him in some way, and Barry furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

"Where's your bow?" he blurted, blushing afterward.

Oliver's eyes met Barry's for the first time, and Barry found himself frozen in his spot. He almost would've missed Oliver's answer if the man's hand hadn't waved awkwardly in front of him. "I twist this ring and my bow will appear."

"That's cool." Barry gave him a small smile, but it dropped when Oliver just looked away. "Alright, then. Let's go. Where are we headed?"

"To Florida. There's some monsters wrecking havoc in Miami because of some Hermes shrine that's down there," Felicity answered as they started walking.

"Florida? Then why'd we have to come all the way to California to pick up the arrow guy when he could've come to us much easier?" Barry protested.

"Because Chiron wants you to get over whatever issue you have with Camp Jupiter. Besides, he said he wanted us to go on a longer quest, since we need experience and the only quest you went on was to Pennsylvania." Felicity's tone left little room for Barry to argue, but it didn't mean he was happy about it.

"I've been on a quest to Nevada," Oliver spoke up. "There was some illegal animal problem there in Vegas. Turned out, the animals were monsters in disguise. Safe to say the mortals who ran weren't too happy to see all of their animals killed."

"Are you any good in medicine?" Barry asked, trying to keep conversation. "I have a best friend who's a daughter of Apollo, and she's pretty okay at archery. So I was wondering if different aspects of him went to his kids. So I was wondering if you just got the archery, or if you got a bit of both medicine and archery."

Felicity elbowed Barry, but Oliver only chuckled. "I'm not anything to brag about, but I know enough to help us out and keep us out of danger," he answered.

"That's cool. I'm the fastest Hermes kid at camp. Chiron keeps giving me these odd looks whenever I'm running, like he's waiting for something to happen, but I don't think anything of it. I just assume he finds it to be some Hermes thing for me to be so fast," Barry rambled, not even really realising just how much he was talking. "I also look nothing like my other siblings. I took after my mom, mostly. I've never actually met my dad, but I don't care for him, really. He's the biggest trickster god and I hate pranks. I've dealt with being on the receiving end of enough of them to not really like them."

"Do you always talk this much?" Oliver asked, not unkindly.

"Yes," Felicity piped up before Barry could answer, drawing a glare from the brunette.

**~*~**

The trio had a bumpy trip on their start to Florida. Granted, while they were children of Olympian gods, they were still rather lucky their scents were _that_ strong. Barry could only imagine what children of the Big Three gods had to deal with. They had enough money on them to take a train to Texas, but after that, they were stuck. Walking for awhile, Barry had enough time to decided he _hated_ the heat. He had gotten used to New York summers, but they had nothing on Texas heat.

"We really should've gotten a hold of more money. I'm not sure how much longer we can keep walking in this heat," Oliver said, his shirt having been taken off awhile ago. California was known to get hot, but not having the restricting material on him was cooling. Barry wasn't nearly as confident to take off his own shirt. He was rather scrawny, even for a fifteen year old.

"Is there any place we can stop for tonight?" Felicity asked. They had been walking off and on for about two days, and they were no closer to their destination than when they started. "I know I've said this before, but I'm not too fond of sleeping in dirt."

"I'm aware, but we might not have much of a choice tonight." Oliver looked around, sighing softly. "I brought a tent, but only one sleeping bag."

"Felicity can use it," Barry said quickly. "I used to go camping a lot with my mom before she died, so I'm used to sleeping in dirt. Plus, being a Hermes kid, I've gotten locked out of the cabin a lot."

Felicity snorted. "Are you sure?"

"I agree. You'll take the sleeping bag, Felicity." Oliver set his bag on the ground and pulled out a bag. Barry's eyes widened when the large tent bag came out of the backpack. "It's a special backpack. My dad gave it to me as a gift. It can hold a lot."

"Oh, okay." Barry's heart fell a little. He had never even met his dad, and here Oliver was, having a _gift_ from his. "That's cool, actually."

"Man, all I got was some sword from my dad," Felicity spoke up. "Apparently an old uncle, who I wasn't really related to, was a son of Hebe, but he was a total badass with a sword."

"That's wicked!" Barry was grinning widely. Gifts from mortal parents he could relate to. "Before my mom died, she gave me this necklace with my grandmother's old ring on it." His face then fell. "But I lost it on my way to camp. The satyr that was taking me there, he didn't really care. He just wanted to get me to safety."

"Barry...I'm so sorry," Felicity said softly, reaching for his hand and giving it a gentle squeeze.

"It's okay," Barry whispered, giving her a sad smile. "Oliver, do you need any help setting up the tent?"

"Yes, please."

The two of them set up the tent while Felicity looked around the area they were in. According to her, there was a small town about thirty miles down the road, where they'd be able to freshen up and buy more food. They had left California four days ago, and if they continued walking the entire way to Florida, it'd take at least around two and a half weeks. They needed to find a quicker way.

The following morning, they made their way into the town, where they were able to buy clean clothes and eat breakfast at the diner before picking up more supplies at the convenient store. They were all feeling gross, but they didn't have any place to take a decent shower without looking weird.

"Okay, I asked around, and we're about an hour away from Dallas. They have public gyms there where we can shower," Felicity said, holding a map in her hands.

"Will they have any trains?" Barry asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

"Well, yeah, but we won't have enough money to buy any tickets," Oliver answered.

"No, but what about trains that carry goods? I know it sounds like a terrible idea, but we could sneak onto one heading in some direction towards Florida. I'd be okay if it only took us to Mississippi," Barry further explained.

"It's...not the best option, but it's the only one we have," Oliver said after a moment. "Let's start walking. I want to get to Dallas before the sun gets too high in the sky."

The three of them made their way to the large city, making small talk all the way. Every so often, Barry's eyes would shift to Oliver, wondering if he was the son of such a rich man, then why did they have to travel the way they did. And he even asked as much.

"My dad doesn't like that I'm a demigod," he had said. "He won't fund anything involving it. We're close, he's just...put off that I'm not completely mortal. Therefore, why we have to travel the way we do."

It made a lot of sense, but it didn't mean Barry liked the thought.

They made it to Dallas, and got a few odd looks, but were otherwise unbothered. They found a gym that they were able to get away with using a free trail so they could have access to the showers, before making their way to the nearest railway station. Oliver found a train with an empty car heading to Tallahassee, and they hopped on.

"Well, since this trip will be about a day, and we have nothing better to do, why don't we get to know each other better?" Felicity suggested as they hid in the corner of the train car.

"Haven't we done that already?" Oliver asked, quirking an eyebrow. "We could catch up on a lot of sleep, seeing as we have three sleeping bags now. Someone would have to keep watch, however."

"I'm wide awake right now, I'll keep watch," Barry said, eyes meeting Oliver's. Even after being around him for nearly a week, the older man's eyes always made him weak.

"Alright."

Oliver and Felicity both unrolled their sleeping bags and got as comfortable as they could. Felicity was out rather quickly, the train lulling her to sleep. Oliver however, took longer to fall asleep, his mind straying to the fifteen year old boy sitting not far away from him as he slipped into unconsciousness.

**~*~**

Once they were in Florida, they were struck with the thought of _'this has been way too easy'_. Sure, they've had to battle monsters on their trip, but Barry was still waiting for the other shoe to drop. There was no way they made it Florida _that easy_.

"This is suspicious," Oliver said, confirming Barry's thoughts.

"Yeah. Is is just me, or are you guys waiting for something big to happen, too?" Barry looked around, not seeing anything out of the ordinary. "It'll take about a week to walk to Miami."

"Unless..." Felicity trailed off, eyeing a busy Applebee's. "Barry, you're a son of Hermes, right?"

"You know I am." Barry furrowed his eyebrows. "What are you thinking?"

Oliver seemed to quickly catch on. "We need to use your trickster abilities."

Barry's eyes widened, finally catching on. "Dude, _no_. I'm not hijacking a car."

"It's either a week walk, or a seven hour car ride. Your choice," Felicity said.

Barry made a face, staring at the car lot. "Fine, but I'm not happy about this."

He glared at them a little before sighing softly and making his way over to the restaurant. He could hear them a bit behind them, but he focused on the task at hand. There were numerous cars in the parking lot, but there were also multiple cameras. He spotted one not far from where he was standing, and where it was aiming. There was a small cluster of trees near the edge of the lot, and he slipped into the brush, next to the passenger side door. Letting out another sigh, Barry grabbed a bobby pin Felicity had given him and worked the lock open. Once he had it, Barry glanced around before slipping into the car and closing the door behind him. Cursing his questing partners under his breath, Barry slipped to where he knew he'd be able to mess with the wires and start the car without having the keys.

Because of his time limit, and not knowing when the owners of the car would be back, Barry worked quickly. He grinned when he heard the car started, sitting up with a grin. After slipping into the passenger seat, Oliver slipped into the driver's seat and Felicity in the back. "Hurry, I don't know when the owners will come out," Barry said, putting his seat belt on.

Driving quickly, Oliver made his way out of the town, all three of them grinning. "Great job, Barry. I knew you could do it."

"We stole a car, oh my gods," Barry muttered to himself, laughing a little. "Dad would be proud."

"Thank you." Oliver's voice was soft, and the gentleness of it made Barry's heart thrum. Barry smiled down at his lap, his cheeks flushing.

After and hour, the excitement had long worn down, and Felicity was dozing in the backseat. Barry himself was nodding off, trying to stay awake, but his eyes felt heavy.

"Barry." Oliver's voice cut through Barry's drowsiness, causing him to turn and look at the archer. "I know you didn't want to steal this car, but thank you. Doing this quest with the two of you, it's been really nice."

"Yeah, it really has been."

For a brief moment, Barry allowed himself to wonder if Oliver was his soulmate. It was a long shot, but the way the older man always seemed to make his heart race couldn't be a coincidence. From what Barry knew about soulmates, and the red string, anytime his soulmate was in pain, there'd be a tug on the string. Barry had felt it off and on for as long as he could remember. If his soulmate was a demigod, it would make a lot of sense. And if the scars covering Oliver's body was anything to go on, he had a few stories to share.

Barry wondered how, if in his life, he would ever be truly and completely happy. If he ever did meet the person he was destined to be with, how would they ever truly live a happy life together, considering all the dangers they would face? Annabeth had once mentioned the same worries she had as her and Percy were growing up, and going through both wars. But they were happy, and they made it work, and they were living happily in New Rome.

"Do you believe in soulmates, Ollie?" Barry asked, the nickname slipping without him thinking. There was a happy light flush on Oliver's cheeks, bringing a small smile to Barry's face.

"Yeah, I do," he answered honestly. "My sister, on my mortal side, met her soulmate Roy. She's...so happy. I'm actually rather jealous, if I'm being honest. Our mother was never able to find hers."

"What about Robert?"

Oliver shook his head. "His soulmate died when he was young. And he fell in love with my mom, and since she had me with Apollo, she was sure she wasn't ever going to find hers. So they got married and had Thea. Dad legally adopted me when I was seven, and since I _technically_ didn't have a biological dad, the whole thing went quickly."

"That's sweet." Barry smiled. "My mom never found hers, but she was happy with it being just the two of us." He bit his bottom lip after a moment before speaking again. "You mentioned you got the bag from Apollo, does that mean you've met him?"

"Once, yeah." Oliver's hands tightened a little on the steering wheel before relaxing again. "It wasn't exactly the most pleasant of meetings, but he gave me the bag as a token of him being sorry he hadn't met me sooner. Well, I mean, technically he met me when I was a baby. He doesn't want it being common knowledge, but he likes visiting his kids when they're born. And since he's the god of medicine, he's able to sneak into the hospital and help with some of the births."

"That's...wow. Apollo never took me as the type of god to visit his kids at their births."

"He's only done so recently. Well, recently for _him_." Oliver chuckled softly. "The gods aren't the best parents, Barry, but you shouldn't be angry at them for that. Felicity mentioned when you were sleeping on the train that you didn't care for your dad, but honestly? You shouldn't be so hard on him. The gods can only do so much, and I'm sure he's tried where he could. Hermes is like my own father, there's a lot of kids. You have to give him some benefit of the doubt."

Barry bit his bottom lip, sighing softly afterwards. "I'll try," he promised after a moment.

"That's all I'm asking," Oliver said softly, giving him a small smile.

They arrived in Miami at eleven that night. Felicity had slept the whole trip, so she was wide awake, but both Barry and Oliver were in danger of passing out at any moment. They stopped in a Walmart parking lot, both Barry and Oliver crashing for the night while Felicity went inside for something to keep her occupied. When Barry woke up in the morning, Felicity had a couple of the $5 books surrounding her, and a reading light still on and shining on the book in her lap.

"We'll have to stop for gas again," Oliver said, startling Barry. "There's a gas station just down the road. There should be some donuts or something we can pick up to eat."

"Our money has to be running low," Barry said worriedly. "How are we going to get back to New York?"

"I'm not sure," Oliver said honestly. He had Barry start the car again, the turn on waking Felicity. "We'll have to be careful with the money. This will probably be the last time we can get gas."

Barry nodded in agreement, sighing softly. "It's too bad Robert doesn't like this god side of you, otherwise we could've flown here and have been back home for awhile now."

They made it to the gas station easy enough. While he filled the car, Felicity and Barry made their way inside. Felicity was still groggy, and her blonde hair was sticking up in weird places, but she didn't seem to care too much. They grabbed a cheap pack of donuts and a couple water bottles, and went back to their car.

"We have to hurry and find the damn shrine. I think I saw a cop staring at our car as I was filling," Oliver said the moment the younger two got in the car.

"Shit," Barry cursed, gripping onto the water bottle in his hands.

Oliver made sure to stick to the speed limit as they drove around Miami, looking for the Hermes shrine. They all grew confused as they looked and looked, but couldn't find any huge giveaways indicating to where it may be. There weren't many monsters, even, only the passing few that barely glanced their way as the car passed.

"Okay, what the Hades is going on?" Barry asked, getting a bit angry. "They send us to Miami, and there isn't even any Hermes shrine. We've been driving around for hours, and while we should be concerned with preserving gas, we're driving around in circles."

"Maybe we should take a lunch break?" Felicity suggested. "Barry's right. We've been driving for hours, and we need a break before this drives us nuts."

They end up pulling into a McDonald's for a quick fill up from their dollar menu. They sat in the parking lot for awhile, trying to brainstorm any ideas of where the shrine could possibly be in all of Miami. Barry was getting frustrated, and with the way the clouds were looming overhead, it was almost as if they were mocking him. If Barry wasn't allowed to be in a good mood, then the weather had to reflect that, as well.

"It looks like it's going to storm at any minute," Oliver commented, the two fifteen year olds nodding in agreement.

"I hope there won't be any lightning. I'm not a big fan, if I'm being honest," Barry muttered to himself, staring up at the dark clouds.

"What do you guys want to do?" Felicity asked softly from the back seat. She was holding a book nervously in her hands, the pages worn with use, despite having bought it just last night.

Both Barry and Oliver were quiet as they thought. Eventually, Barry let out a sigh. "Let's go around one more time. We've had time to sit and think. There has to be something we missed. There's no way we'd be sent down here if there was nothing."

Oliver glanced at how much gas they had left in the tank before pulling out of the parking lot. They all kept their eyes on anything that might stick out as the rain started to fall. "There!" Felicity suddenly said, leaning forward to point straight ahead of them, where a bird was circling overhead. To mortals, it might be a vulture, but to a demigod, it was a monster. And to the trio- a sign.

Oliver drove towards the bird, keeping an eye on its location, and the traffic. They eventually arrived at the spot, the bird still circling. "I'd say if it isn't bothering us, then to leave us alone," Barry stated, looking up at the creature. The others nodded and they made their way forward.

Eventually, they found a clearing with a stone bench in the middle. There was nothing and no one around it, making Barry narrow his eyes at the sight. He exchanged a look with the other two, who looked just on edge as he did. There was suddenly a bright light, causing the demigods to look away.

"Hey, slugger."

Barry's eyes snapped open at the familiar voice and he turned towards the sound. In front of him was an older man with blue eyes and greying brown hair. He was wearing a blue sweater and a pair of jeans, trying to appear casual despite the slight glow that surrounded him.

"I- you. I thought you were someone I made up in my dreams," Barry said, staring wide eyed at the man in front of him.

"Aren't you going come give your dad a hug?" Henry- no, Hermes- asked, holding out his arms.

Barry fish mouthed a moment before rushing forward, enveloping the god in a tight hug. He felt tears fill his eyes as he breathed in the comforting scent of his dad. Hermes was hugging him back, holding him close. Eventually, they had to pull apart.

"Barry, I didn't come here for a visit," he started, making Barry's heart drop, but he nodded in understanding. "I told Chiron to send you here. Who you chose was up to him, but I'm pleased to find out who he picked."

"Um, why did you send us here?" Barry asked. "There's, like, nothing here."

The rain started to fall heavier yet, drenching all of them there. Barry shivered a little, eyeing the lightning that lit the sky. He then looked at the stone bench and was surprised it had transformed into a golden seat. It was almost a throne, the back was certainly the height of one, but it was simple enough to pass off as a very expensive dining chair.

"I want you to sit in that chair," Hermes stated bluntly.

Barry's eyes widened. "What? Why?"

"Centuries of my children have tried to sit in that chair, and access a special ability that lies within all of them. My children have the ability to run at superhuman speeds, Barry, but are not able to access them. Your siblings and you all have cells that are primed to handle it, but you have to sit on a shrine of mine, and get struck by lightning," Hermes explained. "It's a special ability only few can handle. It's similar to Hephaestus' children who have the fire ability, like Leo."

"But we're all primed to have it," Barry said, spitting some water out of his mouth after. "That...doesn't make much sense, to be honest."

"My kids are fast, Barry, there's bound to be someone who can go faster than normal. We need to kick start your cells." He gestured to the chair. "Sit in it."

"And get struck by lightning. That will hurt."

"I will transport you three back to Camp Half-Blood, and you will be cared for. But, Barry, once we kick start your cells, a lot of things will speed up. Your healing and your metabolism, for example." Hermes put his hands on Barry's shoulders. "I believe in you, son."

Not wanting to disappoint his father, Barry nodded. He took a deep breath before walking towards the shrine. After taking a quick glance at his companions, he sat down on the chair. Almost immediately, a bolt of lightning came down, hitting him and causing him to cry out in pain.

Afterwards, everything went dark.

**~*~**

When he woke up, he felt like he was vibrating on the bed he was lying on. Voices could be heard, but Barry couldn't make anything out. Slowly, he gained consciousness, resulting in him opening his eyes to see Caitlin talking to Cisco and Felicity nearby.

"Cait?" he asked weakly, causing the three to whip their heads in his direction.

"Barry! Oh my god, you're okay. I got so worried when you weren't waking up," Felicity babbled, eyes in her eyes. "Lord Hermes assured it was normal, but I couldn't help myself."

"How long was I out?"

"Nine months," Cisco answered. "It's the middle of July."

"Shit." Barry ran a hand over his face. "Where's Oliver? How did you guys get back?"

"Lord Hermes brought us back. Oliver's been back at Camp Jupiter, but he Iris Messages a lot, asking how you are," Felicity said. She grabbed Barry's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I got hit by a bus," Barry answered, smiling a little as the other three smiled weakly. "Is everything okay? Like with me, am I okay?"

"More than." Caitlin turned to Cisco. "Go get Chiron and tell him Barry's awake." Her hands fussed over Barry's limbs, not sure what to settle on, but ultimately decided to do a basic check-up. "If I wasn't already informed about everything, and also a demigod, I'd be totally freaked out by what's happening to you."

"Happy belated sixteenth birthday, by the way," Felicity spoke up. "I remember you mentioning once your birthday is in January, and you've kind of been in a coma, so we couldn't exactly celebrate the big sixteen."

"That's alright, Felicity, I don't mind." Barry smiled at her, feeling the headache he woke up with disappear.

Shortly after, Chiron walked in with Hermes next to him. Chiron was smiling, but Hermes was outright beaming. "I knew you'd be the one," he announced proudly. "Chiron and I had a feeling about you."

"Glad to be of help," Barry joked weakly.

He sat up in bed, despite Caitlin's mutterings of protests. Suddenly, Oliver was rushing in, a bit breathless. "I came as soon as I heard."

"Oliver? I thought you were back at your own camp?"

"He has been, but he showed up earlier this week and said he 'had a feeling', so he's been hanging around," Felicity responded.

Oliver attacked him in a hug, holding the surprised boy close. Barry squeaked, but soon melted into the touch and hugged him back. There was some murmuring from someone else in the room before feet were shuffling out and they were alone.

"I thought you were going to die," Oliver murmured into Barry's hair. "Gods, I was so worried."

"I'm okay, Ollie." Barry chuckled softly, pulling away to look at the archer. He swallowed a bit nervously when he saw how intense Oliver was looking at him. "What got you so worried?"

"When...when you got struck by that lightning, I got so incredibly scared. It didn't help that at that same moment, my pinkie went almost numb from how intense the feeling I was."

Barry's breath hitched. "My...are you saying...Ollie, are we soulmates?" he asked softly.

"I think so," he answered. He bit his bottom lip roughly. "I've always wanted to meet my soulmate. I never thought under these circumstances, but given our lifestyle, it does make quite a bit of sense. I thought I had lost you when I really only got you."

"I'm right here, Ollie. I can run really fast now, but I'm still here." Barry kissed Oliver's cheek. "I can visit you a lot, now." He giggled softly. "But I'm willing to do this, if you are."

"Always, Barry," Oliver replied, gently cupping the younger's face.

**~*~**

**BONUS**

Walking hand in hand with Oliver, Barry couldn't help but chuckle lightly at the red string that hung between them. They saw it every so often ever since they made it official between the two of. Often, Barry would run over to Camp Jupiter to visit Oliver, who was starting to settle in at the college available in New Rome. It had been Barry to push him to pursue his to follow his dreams, not to follow in Robert's footsteps, but to pursue a medical career. While he wasn't gifted in medicine like Caitlin was, it was still something he enjoyed. And with Barry's help, he was able to start the schooling needed for it.

Barry himself was still be taught at Camp Half-Blood until he could join his boyfriend in New Rome in a year. What would be his junior year had just finished, and Barry could tell Chiron was getting more and more sentimental at the thought of Barry leaving. He always got that way when the older campers started leaving, especially when they had been there as long as Barry (sometimes more than).

Nevertheless, Barry and Oliver were as happy as could be, and Barry always laughed at seeing the string that connected the two lovers together. The very string that Aphrodite had put there. Because of her involvement, her children were the only ones who could see everybody's strings. It was weird that Barry and Oliver could see their own, but they didn't question it.

As Barry was playfully whipping Oliver with the string, a female voice spoke up behind them. "You know, soulmates can usually see their string for about an hour after they have sex."

Spinning around, Barry met multi-colored eyes, and the way she was smirking made Barry's entire face turn a violent shade of red. "Good to know," he mumbled, quickly pulling Oliver out of the area.

"Well, at least now we know why," Oliver said in between snickers.

"Shut up, this is your fault," Barry replied, but was soon kissing Oliver anyway.

**Author's Note:**

> you cant fight me on who they're children of, okay, that part isn't up for discussion
> 
> this story doesn't have as much olivarry cuteness as i would've liked, but they're still adorable?? i love my smol nervous barry
> 
> im also a major fucking nerd for greek mythology, so you have no idea how much fun i was having while writing this
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> ~~i know this fic isn't that great, okay, please let me live~~
> 
>  
> 
> kudos and comments are much appreciated! (especially comments, im a hoe for feedback, hfsafks)
> 
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> 
> [my tumblr](http://lovelylerman.tumblr.com)


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